How to use an old DD-WRT router as a repeater

As you are reading this article on ProPrivacy, then it is likely you originally bought a DD-DRT router so you could connect all your internet enabled household or office devices through a single VPN connection. DD-WRT routers are great for this, but as we discovered when reviewing the budget Linksys N300, the modest processors found in low-cost routers can struggle with the demands of handling VPN, resulting in slow connection speeds.

Upcycle a router

This is much less of an issue with higher-end routers such as the excellent Asus RT-AC66U, but you if have decided to upgrade (or are thinking about it), then it seems a shame to chuck out your perfectly good older router.

Well, one of the many strengths of DD-WRT is that it is a versatile platform which can be used to repurpose your router, and one of the most useful things you can do with an old router it into a wireless repeater! We've covered this, and much more in our Definitive DD-WRT Guide.

A repeater basically captures the WiFi signals from your main router and re-broadcasts them, greatly extending the range of your WiFi - perfect for picking up the internet in your cellar den, garden, or on the office coffee-break bench.

Setting up a DD-WRT router as a repeater

Before you begin, you will need to make a note of your primary network’s security settings (see the setup page of your main router). WARNING! During you should not click ‘Apply Changes’ until setup is complete (after hitting 'Save' in step 10). If you do, this may result in your repeater router becoming inaccessible (bricked).

1. On the Setup-> Basic setup screen ‘Disable’ your Connection Type, as the router will not be plugged into a modem

2. (Optional) Change the Router Name and Host Name to something meaningful

3. Change the ‘Local Router IP address’ to something that no other router on the network has (changing the last number to 8 or 9 is usually a safe bet). This is important because if two routers have the same IP address then no-one will be able to use the network. Hit ‘Save’, as the next change might reverse the changes you just made.

7. Go to the Security page and turn off all the security settings (uncheck everything), as all security will be handled by your router. Hit ‘Save’.

8. Go to the Wireless tab, and change Wireless Mode to either ‘Repeater’ or ‘Repeater Bridge’. If you choose ‘Repeater’ you will only be able to use the repeater wirelessly, while selecting ‘Repeater Bridge’ allows you to use its Ethernet ports, excellent if you want to plug in Smart TV, games console, or other cable-only internet enabled device (which will also be able to see other devices on the network, great for sharing video files and the like). We however only want to expend the range of our WiFi, so will choose ‘Repeater’. Click ‘Save’.

9. In Wireless Network Name (SSD) you need to enter the name of your main network i.e. that of your primary router. This needs to be entered exactly, including capitals and spaces. Hit ‘Save’.

Has worked for almost six years as senior staff writer and resident tech and VPN industry expert at ProPrivacy.com. Widely quoted on issues relating cybersecurity and digital privacy in the UK national press (The Independent & Daily Mail Online) and international technology publications such as Ars Technica.

68 Comments

Tai Chan

I believe that you can access the GUI of your Repeating DD-WRT Router, if you enable "Assign WAN PORT to switch" on the first configuration page. This will enable you to login to the router only by connecting an ethernet cable to the router.

Thiago Henrique Lobato de Araujo

Hello Douglas, following your guide, I configured my Netgear W2000 with dd-wrt on it. Hitting the primary router GUI, I can see that they are comunicating each other. But I can't login at second router GUI anymore and even I can't ping it. So probably the second router isn't working at all besides it is listed on primary router. Can you help me out? ty from Brazil

Bruce

Hi Douglas, Followed your instructions on a Linksys E4200 v1 router (DD-WRT v24-SP2 mini). "Save" at every step. Apply at the end. Router does not reboot as expected and becomes unavailable. Can't ping on the new address - 192.168.0.2. Have 30-30-30 reset 5 times now and started over. Any clues? Thanks

Doug

Hi Douglas, I have a NetGear WNR3500L router with DD-WRT Firmware v3.0-36168 mini inatalled and two Android Phones (Essential PH1, Android 8.1.0 and Moto Droid Mini XT1030, Android 4.4.4). Both phones have PdaNet+ installed and working. The WiFi Hotspot broadcast is DIRECT-xx-xxxx-PDANET. Only my Windows Laptop, Samsung Tablet, which also have PdaNet installed are able to connect through PdaNet My wife’s iPad is able to connect through it’s WiFi connection setting using the "Automatic Proxy Configuration", URL: http://192.168.49.1:8000 as directed by PdaNet. The same proxy configuration is sused for Chrome book. All other devices (including Wincows Laptop) and that can see and connect to the PdaNet WiFi hotspot “DIRECT-xx-xxxx-PDANET” that’s broadcast can be connected to that WiFi but do not recognize that hotspot as having an internet connection. We are traveling in our RV and would like to have other devices (smart TVs, Chrome, & Dish Wally) not only see the Broadcast WiFi, but recognize it as having an internet connection, I have been trying to set up the old router as a repeater to use the DIRECT-xx-xxxx-PDANET broadcast WiFi by either phone as it's modem, with no success. I have followed the instructions contained in this web post https://proprivacy.com/guides/how-use-an-old-dd-wrt-router-as-a-repeater/#https://proprivacy.com/guides/how-use-an-old-dd-wrt-router-as-a-repeater/# and this tutorial https://wiki.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linking_Routers. After a couple of weeks I have no success in getting the router to recognize a PdaNet as a hotspot. Everyting combination that I’ve tried from the above instructions sends the router off into cyber space (bricked). I have to do a couple of hard resets and then disconnect power from the router for a lengthy time before I can start all over. I’m not really sure how to set up dd-wrt to do port forwarding? I don’t know what port(s) to start forwarding, nor the correct type of forwarding to set up. Can you provide any suggestions/help?